Put down the pipe, now.

Our pipes are hot and the tea is lukewarm. Cola, Karmella, and Cristina discuss the end of IKTR, recap Hot Mess 5, and tease the upcoming Hot Mess: All Stars 2 cycle. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_07 0:27

Okay, my uh does not love you.

SPEAKER_04 0:32

That's not true.

SPEAKER_07 0:33

That is true.

SPEAKER_04 0:49

Hello, hello, hello everyone. We are super excited that you decided to KYS today. My name is Carmela. Welcome to the brand new Cortes Pod, KYS, Cortesons Yap Sesh. I'm sitting here with our lovely producer, Miss Christina.

SPEAKER_03 1:09

Carmela, I'm so fucking happy we're doing this again.

SPEAKER_04 1:12

It's been a while.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

It's been two years, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:16

It has. I haven't put out a hit in a while.

SPEAKER_03 1:19

I'm threatening to release a new podcast.

SPEAKER_04 1:22

That is a threat and a promise. We're also sitting with Cola. Cola's at the table.

SPEAKER_05 1:27

I am. I'm sitting right here. Cola, are you excited to be back on the pod? You know, I was when this idea was floated, because I think of the enthusiasm of Christina being back for Hot Mess. At first, um, I was a little skeptical. Not because I live far away, but I was just was like, I don't know, do we need to be doing this? But then y'all were so excited about it that it made me excited, and I am excited.

SPEAKER_02 1:54

I'm trying to get excited about it.

SPEAKER_05 1:55

And I did, so I am I'm happy we're doing it.

SPEAKER_02 1:58

We love the excitement.

SPEAKER_05 1:59

And I think the community has fun with it too.

SPEAKER_04 2:02

I think so too. I don't know why they like listen to us talk shit, but hey, I'll spend my Sunday with my friends talking some shit about Athens and queer things and the happenings.

SPEAKER_05 2:14

Absolutely. And especially since Christina found all the old files and I've been listening to them. And Christina also made the point like it's so fun that we have this like recorded digital diary of like that year of our lives and like us like kikiing together. So I do appreciate that. So I think it'll be really fun to just like have some casual fun, talk some shit, be silly together, and then have some guests, and then oh yeah, we're gonna get some cool guests on here too.

SPEAKER_03 2:41

Yeah, and then in like 15 years we can look back and be like, oh. I think uh me releasing the IKTR files really helped with my excitement and desire to do this again. Because, you know, looking back, and you and I were talking about this last night, I in my mind think I'm gonna cringe at a bunch of stuff, but that doesn't even really happen.

SPEAKER_05 3:01

Yeah, there's I love what we did. There's only a few, because I thought that too, that it would be like so cringe worthy. And there are like moments here and there where I'm just like uh but overall I've really enjoyed listening to the old ones.

SPEAKER_04 3:13

It's then Carmelo does not give a fuck. No, I I really do, but she hasn't listened to any. I haven't listened to any yet, but that's just because I work all the time and I do so much outside of everything else.

SPEAKER_03 3:25

Well, when you're the start of the show, you don't have to listen to it.

SPEAKER_04 3:28

Wow, I won't I want to listen to him because I did have some some favorite episodes, and I'm excited that you're gonna clip together some of our best of moments to put out, uh you know, sporadically.

SPEAKER_03 3:42

I just need to download all the transcripts and control F for fat. Well, and then we got 'em. There you go.

SPEAKER_04 3:47

We got him. So, Christina, what was going on in your life and why did you need that two-year break? And what made you want to come back to judge hot mess?

SPEAKER_03 3:59

And I mean, it's not like anything was really going on. It's just I got, you know, everyone knows that listen to IKTR, I was unemployed for a long time, and then I got a job, and then I realized I need to lock in and take this job seriously and like make a career out of it. So I stepped back from drag, I stepped back from the pod, I stepped back from pretty much my entire social life to get to where I am now. And now I feel very good and secure about a lot of things, which I never really have. So I'm like, why don't I just you know have some fun again? So I came back and I did not want to miss another hot mess.

SPEAKER_05 4:34

Yeah, because the last hot mess you did was All Stars in spring 2024, and then hot mess four was a year after that, and that when you sat out, and then after we had like started promo for five and you texted us that you wanted to do it, I was so excited.

SPEAKER_03 4:49

I was like, our girls returning. Yeah, I did not want to be the Merle Ginsburg of hot mess.

SPEAKER_04 4:54

I think that that's um that's a good lesson for baby drags out there. Um, you know, take care of who you are as a person first, and then you can always come back and do the fun thing later.

SPEAKER_05 5:08

Yeah, like people say it all the time, like drag will always be there. But you can't really like do that unless you're taking care of the person. Because first and foremost, you are a person. Yeah. Like the the drag is all fake and fantasy, and yeah, it is like part of who we are, but you gotta be able to feed yourself and take care of your mental health and she's been feeding herself. Oh my god. She's gonna take care, baby. I just mean take care take care of you mentally and you know, your bills and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 5:35

The credit card gets swiped on DoorDash still. That will never change. You know, the more things change, the more they say the same. And I'm so grateful that I have, you know, amazing friends who welcomed me back so eagerly. Do we know them? Yeah, uh, Sacchar and Mona. Oh good. They were so excited to see me. They didn't think they would ever see me again. And I think that was very heartbreaking to me that I had created such beautiful friendships in this community, and I just dropped off the face of the earth. Because to me, it doesn't feel like it was two years.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

It really doesn't feel that way. Time flies either. It really flew by.

SPEAKER_03 6:10

Is that an old person thing? As we get older, time goes faster. I think so, because when you're young, a whole ecstasy.

SPEAKER_05 6:16

Uh a whole year is such a big chunk of your life, but the longer you live, it's just like a smaller fraction every single year that you get a new year, you know? So time just goes by so much faster.

SPEAKER_03 6:27

What was it like for those two years for y'all? Were you just farting around?

SPEAKER_05 6:32

I mean, we've been living our lives too.

SPEAKER_03 6:34

How long have you been living in Atlanta now? A year and a half.

SPEAKER_05 6:36

I moved there in January, uh like January 1st, 2025. So it's like exactly been a year and a half.

SPEAKER_03 6:43

Yeah, like I just sitting in my bed on Instagram seeing all the shows happening, especially for Hot Mess, because that actually broke my heart that I didn't get to go and see it because I love Wintour so much and I didn't get to see her crowning.

SPEAKER_05 6:55

What made you decide to like actually like come back to the Hot Mess panel?

SPEAKER_03 7:01

Well, I saw that it was happening, and I think me being in therapy recently also helped.

SPEAKER_05 7:08

Oh, she's in therapy.

SPEAKER_03 7:09

Y'all should go to therapy. Well, I had to stop because she kept farting during the sessions and I couldn't really deal with it. I mean, the first time I can excuse, but once it becomes a pattern, would people tell you who you who they are? You need to believe them. And she would just fart.

SPEAKER_05 7:24

You were doing in-person therapy? Yeah. She would just fart in the room while you were laying on the shade lounge. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 7:29

Oh my god. All right. Well.

SPEAKER_05 7:31

Miss you, Nancy. Anyway. I mean, I thought about therapy. Uh, but it's very scary to me to be to be known and seen in that way. I love it. So I just suffer. I think you should try it. I think you should try therapy, Cole. I think I should. I think you're right. I need to. My sister and I talk about it all the time that we need it.

SPEAKER_03 7:50

But like I've gone to therapy before, and I just thought it was cunty. Maybe that's not the right word for it, but you know, you heard it here. Therapy is cunty.

SPEAKER_04 7:59

It is. I've been in and out of therapy a few times. Do you love it? I love it so much. No, it did, it helped me a lot. Um, you know, when I was going through some stuff, and then I think the last time I went to therapy, I really didn't have anything to talk about with my therapist. I was just kind of like. Okay. I think I'm I'm not I think I'm cured. Not really, but I'm not gay anymore.

SPEAKER_05 8:24

That's famously how that's.

SPEAKER_06 8:24

I like women women.

SPEAKER_05 8:27

Well, how how did you feel about um the most recent hot mass cycle? I thought should we get into it? We should. Because I think that's what the people want to hear. Yes. For whatever reason. This is instead of a several episode recap, we're all we're just gonna plow through.

SPEAKER_04 8:41

We're just gonna shove it all in.

SPEAKER_05 8:44

I had so much fun this whole cycle, and it really made me fall in love with Athens Drag again. Because recently being in Atlanta, like I moved there because it was like a fun opportunity that I had when I like broke up with my ex and had to move, and I was like, what if I moved to Atlanta? I've wanted to for so long and I've never done it. And like I've had a good time so far, but I'm starting to just no shade to like anything like there. I'm just like starting to be over it, and then especially watching Hot Mess, I was like, this is like what I love and what I'm passionate about, and so that was like a huge thing for me. This cycle was like re-falling in love in general with drag and Athens as a whole.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

I mean, it really is the community part of Hot Mess that I love because we just went to the brunt show with all of Hot Mess alumni, yeah, winners and runner-ups and top threes. So seeing that it makes me love that that we do that. And we've also kind of gotten it down to a science. Like it feels like a real thing, like a real staple. It is.

SPEAKER_05 9:51

We've done it six times. Can you believe that?

SPEAKER_03 9:53

No, I can't.

SPEAKER_04 9:55

I think hot mess is a really good stepping stone or filter um for anyone up and coming in Athens who wants to kind of push themselves and be a part of a big community, a big drag community.

SPEAKER_03 10:11

And at this point, a lot of the hot mess alumni have moved on to such great things. Like Eros is a Brooks now, Blair is skinny, um, Mary Jane Hayes has her own show. Yeah. Dior has her own show.

SPEAKER_05 10:27

And she's moving to Kansas City. I mean, and it's really like Cortes in school for girls. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 10:32

It really is. That's kind of cool. Um, and just being at Athens Pride and seeing everyone on stage, pretty much coming from Hot Mess or coming from our show at church. It was just like such a cool experience to witness and be a part of that and just kind of sit back and be like, wow, like I like helped kind of make these girls a little bit, if that makes sense. You know what I mean? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:56

I never want it to stop. I want us to have Hot Mess 30.

SPEAKER_05 10:59

And we might, if we're still alive. Why not? Why not? That's to be determined. What were the what were the um the the the seasoned gals saying yesterday about it?

SPEAKER_04 11:08

Oh yeah, we had our um we had our boy buttant retreat, planning retreat yesterday for the new season. And um all of all of the queens that we respected or you know, still respect, but when we were up and coming, like Jacqueline and Ecstasy, you know, we have a lot of respect for them. They said that you know, this they were watching Hot Mess. They came out to a few of them and kind of watched on their phones, I guess, but they said it was a really good season. All of the contestants has you know, they have really amazing potential. So we got we got our eye on some some of y'all for some boy boutant events too. So fabulous. Don't worry, we got you.

SPEAKER_05 11:49

Because that's what it's all about, is like if you want a platform to like start drag and take it seriously and join the community, well then there's a good stepping stone, and then you can just like go from there. Like do our shows, do boy buttons stuff, you can do really whatever you want.

SPEAKER_03 12:06

I think my favorite part is seeing all the busted queens come out and give it a go. I love that too, because everyone starts somewhere.

SPEAKER_05 12:12

That was I've actually been thinking about this cycle specifically, it was very much everyone had a huge growth journey the whole time. Like that was very apparent for everyone, no matter where they landed. Like everyone grew in some capacity.

SPEAKER_04 12:28

Yeah. I agree. I think this was this was a really good season in terms of storytelling for each contestant. I feel like all of the contestants had such a unique journey, like we can sort of see that on their um chart, their track record chart.

SPEAKER_05 12:48

And for the first time, everyone got at least three weeks of experience. Because our first elimination wasn't till week three.

SPEAKER_04 12:54

Oh, yeah. So even we did tournament of all stars, honey. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:58

So even like the people who were with us the least amount of time were still doing it for like a month.

SPEAKER_03 13:05

And even every single contestant, and I feel like this happens every season, came back for all of the shows.

SPEAKER_05 13:12

Yeah, pretty much. They were like really in it, and they're all like great friends, they all get along great. There wasn't any drama. Well, there Well, we won't go there. But I mean, we we can. Uh there wasn't there wasn't drama between the cast- I just turned 43. There wasn't drama between the cast. Yeah. There might have been drama with some of the cast, with other people who were not in the cast, but the cast itself all became like great friends. I think this was the most chill season.

SPEAKER_03 13:38

Chill uh in what way? Like, no messy, malicious gay faggotry really happened compared to the last seasons. It was it was um I mean, no hot mess season will be without it, and I hope that never happens. It is hot mess after all.

SPEAKER_05 13:52

Yeah, it was um best best hot mess friends kumbaya.

SPEAKER_03 13:57

I mean, given the cast that we had, I mean, they're all pretty sweet and community-esque. Was it a lot of Athens people?

SPEAKER_05 14:04

It was almost all Athens people, and even the people who don't live here, like Rem lives in Rem is from Alabama and then moved to Conyers sometime in like the last year, but Rem's performed with us a bunch. And then the only one that is really from out of town was Tina. Everyone else is here. I think.

SPEAKER_04 14:24

Yeah, I think you're right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 14:26

So should we should we get into the get into the girls and talk about our first contestant who was indeed our pork chop was Miss Travis T. Christina, what did you love most about watching Travis T this cycle?

SPEAKER_00 14:41

Go, go, go, go.

SPEAKER_05 14:42

Oh, yep. Well buckle up, Travis.

SPEAKER_03 14:46

Like what like I was saying earlier, when Travis came out and I saw her performing, it reminded me so much of myself when I first got out on the stage in that exact same space, nervous and unsure and looking not probably like I want to look, but skinny. Yeah. But the fact that he stuck with it, I think he really encompasses the spirit of what I think Hot Mess is. It's just an opportunity to come out and have fun. And I really hope he did have fun and get some experience.

SPEAKER_05 15:18

I think he did. And Travis has been performing for like a year, has done like a bunch of our open stages. But I think that maybe the pressure of it being the competition made him nervous. And so I think you could see that a lot during his numbers and stuff. So I think going forward, just like before the competition, his numbers will be a lot more like confident feeling. I really hope he sticks with it. I think he will. I think he really loves it. He's already signed up for our next open stage. Oh, good. Hot mess six.

SPEAKER_04 15:50

I think it already kind of showed that Travis gained confidence with his uh finale number. Oh, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 15:57

And his finale looks were really good. Oh, I loved Travis's um funeral runway. Oh, yeah. Really gorgeous.

SPEAKER_04 16:04

I love that hair.

SPEAKER_05 16:05

I think that was Mona's hair. That hair was so cool. What was your favorite thing that Travis did the whole season?

SPEAKER_04 16:11

I I just love that Travis kept coming back each week, even after he got the chop. He was just very supportive. Um, even in the dressing room, just hanging out with all the all the contestants and us. And I don't know. I just I just like having Travis around. I think he's such a sweetheart. And I'm excited to to see his journey, his growth.

SPEAKER_05 16:35

I loved his I loved his appearance in Aqua's number. I love that Travis did not get get beat down by our horrible, evil, mean critiques.

SPEAKER_03 16:42

I wonder what I wrote on his paper.

SPEAKER_05 16:44

Your phone number. T. My favorite look of Travis was the um her elimination look, sadly, but I believe it was for camp. Um, that like kind of floral thing. I thought that was really cool. That was my favorite look, besides the funeral look. I think the funeral was probably the best. Alright, so net our next contestant is Kerapis, who I was so excited signed up. Oh, Carapace. How many hot mess seasons? Um, well, Carapace auditioned for Hot Mess 2 three years ago. And then this was the only one besides that. I am obsessed with Kerapis. Fucking love Carapace. I'm always thirsty for a good glass of Kerapace. I think maybe we held Kara back by um saying no bodily fluids on stage. And I'm so mad at y'all for that. The fact that I missed her eating the throw up. Ugh.

SPEAKER_04 17:34

We'll have to do better.

SPEAKER_05 17:35

We'll have to do better. If anyone wants the video, I believe I still have it somewhere. That's okay. It's I love Kara. I love their visuals. They have really good visuals. They're a really good visual artist. But that was a strong suit for them every week. Um, their aesthetic really speaks to me. I love their leopard print runway. Mm-hmm. That was really good. And they're just like give like give no fucks attitude. Yeah. I was really glad that they signed up because before the season started, I like kind of reached out and was like, hey, what do you what do you think about me maybe doing this? He was like, I don't know if that's really for me. And then later came back and was like, fuck it, let's do it. And I was like, Yes, oh my god, I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_03 18:14

And I think that's the attitude that Kara brings on stage too. Just fuck it, let's do it.

SPEAKER_05 18:20

I love it. And then unfortunately, um Kara was sniped by the bloodbath.

SPEAKER_03 18:26

I think the bloodbath is such a hard challenge. It is for like the fact, what is it, five times that they have to lip sync, or is it four? Three.

SPEAKER_05 18:34

The top two and the bottom two have to lip sync three times. And then everyone else does it twice. Yeah. Three lip syncs in one night. My god. I mean, I don't think it's that hard. It's just one more than usual. I don't think it's that hard. But I was talking to Vladentine and Vlad was like, the bloodbath is always what what gets those kind of queens. The the the the spooky alt, weird, artistick y kind of weird queens. I was like, Yeah, well, learn to learn.

SPEAKER_04 18:59

Do we feel like the bloodbath is necessary for the competition?

SPEAKER_03 19:02

Yeah. I feel like it is. I wouldn't get rid of it. I feel like it's a staple. I think the audience loves it too.

SPEAKER_04 19:08

I think I think it determines like who came to play.

SPEAKER_05 19:11

Well, it's just like kind of a base level, can you confidently and strongly perform in in a certain type of way? Yeah. Because there are performers who because we've seen Kara perform well in like a con a conceptual, artistic type number. But then the it's just like a different thing.

SPEAKER_04 19:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 19:31

It's just like a different like every every week is kind of just like a different skill, and that's just one of the skills.

SPEAKER_04 19:36

I feel like the next bloodbath we should um we should play to whoever the the alt queens are on cast.

SPEAKER_05 19:43

It'll be um the alt Ethel Kane um bloodbath.

SPEAKER_04 19:46

Yeah. I would live. It'll be the um the tool and Deftones bloodbath.

SPEAKER_05 19:52

We love you, Carapace. We do. Our next contestant is the icon, the legend. Stiller sparkling.

SPEAKER_03 20:02

The fan favorite.

SPEAKER_05 20:03

One of them.

SPEAKER_04 20:04

Honestly.

SPEAKER_05 20:05

What the hell? I was obsessed with Stiller the whole time. What the hell? Came it came out of nowhere. We had to convince her not to quit the week Suarez was here. And then she did quit anyway. And then she quit anyway. Anyway, ugh. I hate to see it.

SPEAKER_04 20:22

That is such a bad bitch move, if I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_05 20:26

Uh no, it's annoying.

SPEAKER_04 20:29

But hey, you know, she told us to rightly go fuck ourselves. And guess what? We did.

SPEAKER_05 20:35

Mental health is allegedly important. I've never found that to be the case, but Stiller was very interesting. One of the most interesting characters, I think, in the whole cycle. Cause did she look a mess and horrible and crazy? Very often, yes. But then there were there were so many moments during her numbers, like during Rich Bitch Summer Vacation and the finale, where there was just something radiating from her. This like pussy cunt lot lizard. But like there's something there. Oh, for sure. It's really like I can't even like put words to it.

SPEAKER_03 21:19

And as far as the fashion goes, I feel like you described it really well, and I'm pretty sure this was the first week where you said, I love this kind of drag where we need to bring back the you know mall drag aesthetic because not everything needs to be, you know, spark sparkly flashy.

SPEAKER_05 21:36

Yeah, there's like there's con like room and like context for everything. Like I love, especially an Athens drag, I love a more pedestrian type um librarian, towny, crossy. Um we have a librarian and a secretary now. Oh, oh Kimberly. Yeah, I just I like that I like something a little more understated, but then it was Huge shock when she came out in her funeral runway, which was like that thing was amazing. It was like finally a drag look. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:07

But it was that in the coffin with her hair all on that pillow. Yeah, on the pillow.

SPEAKER_05 22:12

I was shocked because the whole time she was serving like that that same genre of stiller drag. And she came out and just like surprised us all with like an actual like conceptual drag look.

SPEAKER_04 22:25

I think similar to Travis, when the pressure was sort of taken off Stiller, she really was able to shine.

SPEAKER_05 22:32

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:33

So competitions aren't for everyone.

SPEAKER_05 22:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:35

I mean, I've never done one, so me either.

SPEAKER_05 22:38

Like they'll they'll who am I? They'll shine on like an open stage night or like on a night where they're booked. Yeah, you know, they'll they'll shine in their own time, in their own way. A competition isn't necessarily for everyone. Like it's great that you give it a try, but you you learned that it's for you or it's not.

SPEAKER_04 22:53

She expressed that to us too. She just kind of wanted to get her foot in the door. And she didn't think she would go as far as she did.

SPEAKER_05 22:59

But that's yeah, that's like what she said when she officially dropped out. She's like, I didn't think I was gonna make it this far.

SPEAKER_04 23:04

But that's cool though, that like she surprised herself with that. So but again, I get it with like it being every week and the pressure being on. So yeah, it's a big commitment. We don't we don't hate you for quitting, Stiller.

SPEAKER_05 23:16

We don't. But we're never gonna forget. I don't particularly care for you. But I'm not gonna hold it against you, girl. Oh my god, I just realized what button. There's uh the soundboard has uh pictures on the buttons now, and this one is Jade Knight. With a gun.

SPEAKER_04 23:30

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_05 23:31

In a with a gun.

SPEAKER_04 23:33

You know, she has a lot of those. She actually I've seen them. Pew, pew, pew.

SPEAKER_05 23:38

I know she used to carry them in her purse at shows. She one time on the mic, she's like, I will shoot you. And we have to tell her that um you can't you can't tell people on the microphone that you're gonna shoot them.

SPEAKER_04 23:47

Yeah, especially at a drag bar. Yikes.

SPEAKER_05 23:49

Oh, yo, yo, yay.

SPEAKER_04 23:51

Anyway.

SPEAKER_05 23:51

We reserve that right for Yay. I don't think she can legally carry a firearm, but who's gonna stop her? What's what's another time in jail? Anyway. Okay, so next up is London France Underpants. My god, I fucking love London France Underpants. Here's a standout for sure.

SPEAKER_04 24:13

Did you graduate from LFU?

SPEAKER_05 24:15

Oh, LFU McLean College. This is someone who likes Stiller. Their first number was their audition number. They have been aware of us or aware of us for a while, and they really just took the season by storm. Even though they were the fourth out, they were top six, made it six weeks out of eight weeks. They and since they were at the finale and performed, they really only missed one week. So London was there almost the whole time. I pegged London as being top four. I thought um it was possible, and then it just like started coming down to what was um like the pros and cons and what was holding everyone back each week. And it just kind of came down to once it got down to the nitty-gritty of like that top six, London's lack of experience was was really like the biggest thing holding her back.

SPEAKER_04 25:06

I agree, and London really came out of nowhere too, right? That was London's first time ever uh was the audition week. So I think she did an amazing job. I love her style of drag. I was obsessed with all of the looks, um the concepts. Some of them got a little lost on me of the performances, but the looks were amazing, and she's just such a sweetheart. Our goody shoes. She just gets it.

SPEAKER_05 25:33

I love that mixed pattern jester look. That was my favorite. And that was when I wasn't even here. I mean, I'm literally about to get a tattoo of her. I know, that's so funny. I love that picture. Every every year there is just someone who becomes kind of like an iconic meme within the season, you know, and that's kind of like what London is.

SPEAKER_04 25:50

You're gonna get her tattooed when you write.

SPEAKER_05 25:52

Yeah. Also, I noticed Blair was also top six, no wins, goody two shoes. And London was also top six, no wins, goody two shoes. Well, she's in good company. So maybe maybe London will win all-stars one day. Or Hamas 6 or something. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 26:09

Yeah, I mean, they can come back for any season, right?

SPEAKER_03 26:11

I don't want the Atlanta girls to kidnap her like they did to Blair. Blair's an evil monster now. We'll just have to do that.

SPEAKER_04 26:16

I really I really do need I really do need LFU uh clown college on a sweatshirt. Oh my god, merch. I would wear the hell out of that.

SPEAKER_05 26:24

Like a c like a college sweatshirt. With like the font, yeah, LFU with like a little with the little picture. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 26:30

With that, with the hatchet.

SPEAKER_03 26:31

Marketing London, I got you, babe. So Audition Night was London's first time doing a drag number. Yep. I think that's just so incredible and so hard to pull off. To start drag in a competition setting and then be a fan favorite and pull out very iconic we've, in my opinion, performances.

SPEAKER_05 26:50

We've had many people do it. Eros, Auntie, Mary Jane Hayes, Mo Namon, Siren Song, Blair Minimum, Saccharin, um, and London and Stiller.

SPEAKER_03 27:03

I really do like Saccharin.

SPEAKER_05 27:04

I do too. I really like her. We're gonna talk to her later. I really do like saccharin. I really do.

SPEAKER_04 27:10

My favorite kind of saccharine, sacron saccharin.

unknown 27:13

Oh.

SPEAKER_05 27:13

And London's little um You belong with me. I love you, cola tribute.

SPEAKER_04 27:19

Oh my gosh. Can we talk about the cola pandering this? My god.

SPEAKER_03 27:23

Okay, they suck your cock fiercely from the back, even.

SPEAKER_05 27:27

Not one of them did it in person, so I'm still waiting. Um at first it was cute, and then over time, especially at the end, um, when Tigris was fucking dressed up as me. I was like, no more of this. And I even told the group chat of the cast group chat going into the finale, no more of this.

SPEAKER_04 27:49

I should have dressed up as you as a finale.

SPEAKER_05 27:51

Fucking more, like this is this is fun, and I love we are we're flattered that y'all are like preferencing us and like well, like there was also like IKTR and Cortes and stuff too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I was like, we're flattered, but we want to see y'all quit quit doing this. Like it it did end up getting old, but at first it was cute. Because like that, London and actually London and Rem did it the same night. That killed me. And on Comedy Night. Yeah, and that that was fun and cute. But it was like when it kept happening, I was like, it was starting to embarrass me.

SPEAKER_03 28:24

It's because you uh oh wait, no, did you have the mustache yet? No. Oh, best believe, if you had that mustache at the beginning of the competition, it would have probably been twice as worse. Because you're giving trade. Do you like it? Do I look do I look hot and sexy?

SPEAKER_05 28:37

Yes. Ooh, sister. Stop trying to have me. Uh and and at everyone else. So actually, I'm so lonely. I should have crawled into bed with you last night. I thought I thought you was Finna. But um oh, in London won Goody Two Shoes. Um, and that is decided, that's Armiscongeniality, and that was decided by the cast. So congratulations. You are in good company with um a bunch of other freaks.

SPEAKER_03 29:04

What was the vote like? Was it unanimous? Or do you want to spell it?

SPEAKER_05 29:07

It was not unanimous. Uh last year was unanimous for Aphasia, I believe. But um, this one was because I think Travis probably stood a good chance, too. This was not unanimous. Um, half the cast voted for London, and then everyone else got like one or two votes. Or not everyone else, but whoever else got votes got like one or two. And so London got the most.

SPEAKER_04 29:30

Just a season full of sweethearts. London got four votes.

SPEAKER_05 29:33

London got four or five votes. And she won a free big bang wig. So good on you, London. We're proud of you, and we're excited that you're in the new the new wave of the fam.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

Yeah, being nice is not easy. Good on you. Hey. I'm just old and bitter now.

SPEAKER_05 29:48

Many such cases. Oh. Next up is a record breaker. Bottom two four weeks in a row. Oh, that's not a very nice intro. Should we keep that in? I think so. I I think that's fierce. You know what? It actually is fierce because she hung on for those four weeks. She lip synced down. Rem, okay, it's Rem, who has experience with our show and grew a lot and had my favorite promo look. But she really like lip synced down in those bottom two. And I wasn't here for the Mariah one, but you told me that she lip synced down. She did. And even when she lip synced against Tina, Tina obviously won, but she didn't like Molly Wap destroy Rem. Rem was still good.

SPEAKER_03 30:35

For like the first, I think 75% of it, it was neck and neck for me.

SPEAKER_05 30:40

Yeah, it was really good. Like Rem is very talented. In those bottom two things, I'm glad that Rem actually got to do that because you can see how fierce Rem is. Rem's issue is the editing of concepts and ideas.

SPEAKER_03 30:55

Rem didn't apply the challenge as well.

SPEAKER_05 30:57

Yeah, it was getting just like we're getting a little too off the off the trail. It's like sometimes we need to just do the challenge. And that's something that I had to learn a long time ago when I did Blitz, like almost 10 years ago. Sometimes it's just like do what's asked of you.

SPEAKER_04 31:10

Yeah. I agree. Like, don't go so far out of the box that you completely lose, you know, what the concept is.

SPEAKER_05 31:18

Right. Like we get it. You're clever and creative, but like let's let's Yeah. I mean, she really is.

SPEAKER_04 31:24

Yeah, her I mean, I'm not saying her concepts were bad at all. It's just it's just not what we were asking of them.

SPEAKER_05 31:32

Yeah. And this was definitely like the best we've seen of Rem because she's been performing this for a little bit, and her growth was great, her makeup was fierce, her hair was often very nice.

SPEAKER_03 31:42

She looks Rem looked good every single week. I agree. Rem is hot.

unknown 31:46

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 31:47

Rem is hot. He was almost the Vladentine of the season for me. Oh yeah. Well, if if we had been recording every week, it probably would have happened.

SPEAKER_04 31:54

No. Was Rem the trade of the season?

SPEAKER_05 31:56

Yes, my God. Who else would it be? Travis. You know, Rem Rem did a good job. Um it just, you know, was a matter of editing, I think. I think and Rem was over it by the end. I wonder why she didn't come to the finale.

SPEAKER_04 32:11

Maybe we because we put her in the bottom four weeks in a row. I think it was her partner's birthday. I think they were doing something together. Well, that's fair. That's totally fine. Yeah, I I love Rem. I think uh Rem is a good fit for Athens and for Church Bar.

SPEAKER_05 32:27

So Yeah, she's a great performer. She just needs to rein in those concepts. But she shined like a star in those like lip sync battles.

SPEAKER_04 32:36

She did. She really did. She definitely held her own, and you know, like you said before, like none of her lip syncs were bad at all.

SPEAKER_05 32:45

She's a great lip sync, too. Like I'm not even talking about like the performance overall, like she's just good at lip syncing it like itself, you know.

SPEAKER_03 32:53

I mean, I I feel like she had a very strong chance of eliminating Tina.

SPEAKER_05 32:58

Well, she could have, like, if let's just say in another dimension where maybe Tina didn't have as good a grasp on the words or I mean where Tina forgot her Tina that night.

unknown 33:11

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_05 33:12

But I mean it was like kind of a crazy thing. We had a a four-time winner and then a four-time like bottom two against each other. So I do think it would have taken an act of God to get rid of Tina, just because that is just really crazy, you know? Yeah. The way their track records like like, you know. The end of that lip sync. But like if Tina had not learned that song and and it was kind of a Lady Symphonique type thing, which I've caught up on the lore. Yes. Oh yeah, we talked about it last night. We would have kept Rem. Yeah. Because you can't just like not lip sync, you know.

SPEAKER_03 33:48

That lip sync towards the end, I remember Rem being on stage, and Tina was, you know, on the floor on the of the bar, and everyone was like screaming and looking at her, and I just looked at Rem and Rem was looking at her, and I could tell Rem being like, oh, she's eating. Like, it's over.

SPEAKER_05 34:02

Yeah. But Rem certainly was a good sport and didn't give up. And I respect that. Me too. Because I'm sure when it was it was them as the bottom two on the semifinal night, her and Tina, she knew immediately what the time it was. But she didn't give up, and she gave it her best, and I respect that. Yeah, we didn't have our pipes that night.

SPEAKER_01 34:21

Girl security.

SPEAKER_05 34:24

We'll talk more about that.

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Anyway, next up is Tigris. My god, what what a journey to A B as young as she is, in case you didn't know. Did y'all know?

SPEAKER_05 34:34

She was the she was the youngest contestant. She's 21. She's the youngest contestant in this cycle. A fellow um former showgirl. Yes. Just like just like you, just like you and just like me. The first time I saw her perform was at the drag search last year for Void Butant. Okay. The one, the Alabama one. Yes, yes, yes. Okay. Maybe that's the one. And she and she was like fierce. Yeah. But like two years ago, when we did our first standalone bloodbath night, she DM'd to sign up, and I was like, okay, great. And then she told me she was 19. And I was like, oh, well then no, you can't come. Because it's a bar, honey. Yeah. And you shouldn't have told me. Yeah. So that was two years ago, and now she is, you know, not 19. So she's she's only been performing with us, I mean, less than six months. I don't remember the first time she came over, but I like Tigris a lot.

SPEAKER_03 35:29

I think she wanted it the most.

SPEAKER_05 35:31

Well, she did until she didn't. Yeah. She certainly was a standout the whole cycle. She won two challenges. She was in the top almost the whole thing.

SPEAKER_04 35:41

She did very well. Like in all the challenges.

SPEAKER_05 35:43

Yeah, she was fucking fierce. Her my favorite number of the whole season was her Rich Bitch Summer Vacation White Lotus Larazapam number. That was my favorite number of the whole season. She just fucked the shit out of that number. It was amazing. And like she went into the finale with one of the best track, I mean the second best track record going into the finale. And she totally could have won. And it was just like she chose not to. It was just so weird.

SPEAKER_03 36:09

Yeah, I wonder what happened.

SPEAKER_05 36:10

I guess we'll we'll get her on eventually and talk about it. But like as an ARC, she was kind of technically our villain.

SPEAKER_03 36:16

So it was kind of a And I just know that little demonstration. She played it too, honey.

SPEAKER_04 36:21

She played the villain.

SPEAKER_05 36:22

And so then for the the villain to like kind of have her come up and sin fall, I do love like the poetic justice of that. But it was just disappointing to kind of see her not quite give up, but it was just kind of like she quit caring right at the end when she really fully could have won.

SPEAKER_04 36:39

I agree. I I thought she did amazing the whole season. Um I just think the finale felt a little phoned in. Yeah. Um not that it was bad or anything, but it was the finale. So like I just expected all the amazing things that we've seen Tigris do times 10 for the finale, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_05 37:02

Yeah, because for the finale, you'd you'd turn up yourself to an 11 and like prove why you deserve the crown. Yeah. And she did nothing of the sort.

SPEAKER_03 37:10

Maybe it's because she kind of had that attitude throughout the competition. I feel like every number she went into on 11. And maybe by finale night, she was like, Alright, I don't have anywhere to go from here. Maybe. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 37:23

I don't know what it was, but I mean the track record speaks for itself.

SPEAKER_05 37:26

Yeah, she did an amazing job.

SPEAKER_03 37:28

She's a finalist. Tigers call in. What the fuck happened, girl? Two wins.

SPEAKER_05 37:33

Yeah, that's really good. And her Club Kid runway is one of the best runways. My god, Sweden. That was super good. And she ate the presentation. Sweden made it. She commissioned Sweden for it. And it was one of the best runways we've ever seen. Yeah. It's in the like gotta be in the top ten. It's so fabulous.

SPEAKER_03 37:48

Oh, that list is coming.

SPEAKER_05 37:49

I liked it. I have a list. I have my own personal list. We can make a group list. Yeah. Obviously, a collaborative list. But she always had like cute looks. I loved her um American flag look from mixed patterns. I loved her Barbie number. Drink Pride. And she she's another one who is really funny.

SPEAKER_04 38:05

She is. She's a theater girl.

SPEAKER_05 38:07

Yeah. She won she won the comedy night, which was very controversial. We don't necessarily have to get into it unless we want to.

SPEAKER_04 38:13

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_05 38:15

Um her two numbers that she her two weeks that she won um were very deserved and they were fabulous. Her Barbie number during like her comedy number was great, and then her bar her Barbie number during movie night was great.

SPEAKER_03 38:27

No shoes. Barbie feet.

SPEAKER_05 38:29

Barbie feet. Barbie feet. She started with shoes.

SPEAKER_03 38:32

Well, I feel like that added to the number, and then afterwards, because the fall was so aggressive. That was an accident.

SPEAKER_05 38:38

Yeah. I was like, she is committing to this. I was so impressed. During when it was happening, I was like, was that on purpose, or did she like actually fall? I couldn't really tell, but then she didn't. Always say it's on purpose.

SPEAKER_04 38:48

I always say that.

SPEAKER_03 38:49

Which in the moment, like I asked her weeks later. The way the number worked, it would make sense for that to happen. Yeah, it did, and that's why I was like, wait. I'm acting. Ish is she the one that week one you said never do that dance move again when she was duckwalking? Was that her? I don't remember that at all. Someone said that about someone's dance moves, and I think it was her. And I think that's why she did that.

SPEAKER_05 39:13

Someone did like a duck walk, and one of us was like, don't ever do that again. Yeah. Well, we didn't I don't think we gave critiques during auditions, did we? Or maybe we did, because it wasn't actually auditions anymore. It was just kind of show yourself. Because we had like nine people. Maybe so. I can't remember. Oh well. Good job, Tigris. Um, too bad you gave up. Yeah. Just get it. Maybe this time. Oh, well, that's someone else.

SPEAKER_04 39:37

That was Tina.

SPEAKER_05 39:38

Oh, yeah. Sorry. Oh yeah. And why the fuck did Tigris totally steal Kennedy Davenport's Ladies Who Lunch slip sync?

SPEAKER_03 39:45

What the f- Was that intentional?

SPEAKER_05 39:47

It was the day before, and it was the exact same thing. Like ladies who lunch in a caftan drinking. But should would she have put a number together that late? She she well, her idea, her initial idea was different. She did change it. Oh. And there was a whole bunch of drama that I didn't really care about because we're not we're not y'all's fucking babysitters. And she just stole. I don't know. We'll have to, yeah, we'll get her on the pod and ask about it.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

I have so many questions for her.

SPEAKER_05 40:11

We are gonna deep dive and we'll get back to y'all. That's it. So who's next? Our lovely second alternate. Faye goat.

SPEAKER_03 40:19

My god. I the journey that Faye had. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 40:23

I'm obsessed, really. She was one of the hotmas four martyrs. She actually was like the very next per. Like, we only took eight people last cycle, but she would she was like the next one that we would have taken.

SPEAKER_03 40:35

I think as far as growth goes, she won that in the competition.

SPEAKER_05 40:40

Yeah, like why like she grew the most. And she was like the dark horse and just kept serving.

SPEAKER_03 40:45

Compared to when she started versus the end, she became a star in my mind. Oh, absolutely. She was one of my favorites. I th I think her finale number is my favorite. Well, no, because I love aquas, but finale night, they were pretty much neck and neck. Like they both came.

SPEAKER_04 41:02

Both of their finales were good.

SPEAKER_05 41:04

Really good. They were the best two numbers for me, for sure. Faye destroyed.

SPEAKER_03 41:09

And when Faye came out and did her number the week before, and I said this on the mic during the finale, the fact that you came out and gave a number that was so personal and real to you in this setting. Because in the semifinals, yeah. The monologue, yeah. Because the church audience, you know, just want to be there and be drunk and have a good time. So I usually don't choose that venue to do anything like that. But for the challenge, it made sense. And the bravery it takes to do that, come out and sell it. I thought that was so special. And, you know, the subject matter and stuff, like obviously I'm biased to love that she came out and talked about it. But then for the next week, for her to go from that to then come to the next week and be a standout of the night, I think just speaks to how special of a performer she is and how much potential she has to do great things in the future. So I really am obsessed with her.

SPEAKER_04 42:11

I agree. I think she's an amazing performer. Um when she did her monologue for the semifinals, um, it was an emotional number, but she had everyone in the room paying attention to her. Yeah. Oh yeah. So that was like something really special to see because we all know how the audience can get when you know when stuff isn't high energy necessarily. You know, keeping their attention that way with with high energy, but for her to be able to do that with with her number and her monologue, I thought that was amazing. Especially I cried that night.

SPEAKER_05 42:52

When I think of Fayote, I mostly think about how like her specific brand of humor, she's so good at putting together clever, funny mixes, numbers, performances, and visuals. She reminds me a lot of Auntie. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so then for her to totally flip that around and do something so serious and powerful and really and in my eyes, nail it. Yeah. Was it showed range that I don't think any of us expected.

SPEAKER_03 43:24

If only she didn't wear that wig.

SPEAKER_05 43:26

Well, you know, I feel so she was the one I picked on the most throughout the season about wigs. Yeah, she certainly I think her her biggest hurdle at the moment is aesthetics. Yeah. Um Which is also my hurdle. I do love a kind of like some of the other people. Often her more kind of understated casual pedestrian aesthetic. I do like that a lot. And then when she elevates herself, it is very impactful. Like um Pageant Knight and the finale. Like her coronation runway was like that big, huge pink gown. Yeah. My God, is she beautiful? Yeah. So just some some hair and makeup growth. I mean, but she's only been performing for a year.

unknown 44:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 44:10

Like her audition in Hot Mess 4 was her first number. So she's kind of in that club too, even though she didn't get any.

SPEAKER_03 44:15

And I watched the video of her audition last night and realized she did the Bride of Frankenstein thing for her audition in Hot Mess 4. Yeah, her her finale number was a reference to her Hot Mess 4 audition. And she gave such a redemption story for that. Absolutely. Alright, let's talk about the finale number because I don't think I've seen a number that was so high production and so tight and thought well thought out. Like it told such a story, and I think every single bit landed. And I think Dior and um the other the other one.

SPEAKER_05 44:48

Yeah, I was gonna say Dior and I don't know everyone's name, but they were really good backup people.

SPEAKER_03 44:53

And to hear about the night before when everyone was at FaZe just helping Stone, helping make it come together. I think that's another thing that's the spirit of Hot Mess that I love. Mm-hmm. Is all these performers come together and hang out and help each other. Like the eliminated people come to help the top four person that you know they're probably closest to.

SPEAKER_04 45:14

Yeah, I think um like Travis did a lot of stoning work for Aqua, and of course and for Faye, I think. And for Faye, I could be wrong. Tina had her team.

SPEAKER_05 45:24

And Clinton was so proud of those scissors he stoned. I mean, it's about community at the end of the day. It is like a drag show, and like that is a big like a thing, but we have drag shows because it's about the community. And Faye, you were phenomenal this cycle. You really and like didn't win any challenges, but was in the top a lot. And the two times we had a specified top two in the bloodbath, and then one of the other ones. Um Faye was in the top two.

SPEAKER_03 45:55

Did you cry during hers with me? No. It was just aqua that you and I were both. Yeah. Like I'm even I did tearing up thinking about it now, just because it's so like special to me.

SPEAKER_05 46:06

It was like really fierce and amazing, and I loved it. And then when the chains came out and she was walking Dior and the other one, I was gagged, but I don't I don't think I got emotional. I did. I was just very impressed.

SPEAKER_03 46:17

And I remember saying to her, I don't care what happens tonight. When you go home and look in the mirror, I want you to say, I won. Because she did. Well, she lost. Well, she lost.

SPEAKER_05 46:26

But like that that growth journey, you are tearing up. I'm sorry, I just love it. No, I love it too. That growth journey was so like like I was saying, kind of the the I thought like before the cycle started, I kind of was like thinking back to all of the different cycles and kind of like thematically what they all meant, and like kind of what was the overarching theme of each cycle. This one is definitely the growth journey. Yes, that is definitely the theme, and she is the most emblematic of that, I think.

SPEAKER_04 46:56

I'm really proud it came full circle for Faye, especially with her audition and her finale number being a callback. Um I think she deserved to be in the finale. She deserves all her flowers.

SPEAKER_05 47:09

Oh, yeah, she was never in the bottom two. Actually, three of our finalists were never in the bottom two.

SPEAKER_04 47:13

And I think Eros was very correct when she said that Faye could take that finale number pretty much anywhere.

SPEAKER_05 47:20

Yeah, absolutely. Faye, I want you to know Christina actually is crying. She really is. It's freaking me out. Oh it's fierce. Oh, wait. Great job, Faye. And I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of her yet. That's all I'm gonna say. Alright, now it's time to get into this top two.

SPEAKER_03 47:44

Tina and Aqua.

SPEAKER_01 47:48

Oh, honey. Girls security.

SPEAKER_03 47:50

Let's just get out the way the fact that going into the finale, we had a chart where someone won four challenges. So obvious front runner.

SPEAKER_05 47:59

Yeah. And then so we also had on the same chart four contestants who were in the top almost the whole time.

SPEAKER_03 48:06

Yeah. So going into the finale, we have Aqua Marine with three highs and one win. We have Tina with four wins, um, a safe and a bottom two. Faygoat, who did have a top uh two top twos and a high. And then we have Tigris who won two challenges and was high many times. Almost the whole time. Yeah. She must have been high in the finale, too.

SPEAKER_04 48:29

I was high the whole time.

SPEAKER_03 48:31

So if you want to be statistical about it, yes, Tina probably had the best chances of winning. But I don't think going into a finale, I really even want to take into account numbers like that. Yeah. Finale night, I want to see your entire story throughout the entire competition and make my decision then based off of what you've shown and what you know, what you think of your journey and what you show us.

SPEAKER_05 48:56

Yeah, there's different ways of looking at it. It's like, do all of the weeks beforehand just count to like get you to the finale, and then the finale is just anyone's game, or do you consider the whole season along with the scores of the finale? It's just like, what's the point of even having the finale if you're gonna just look at the previous weeks, you know? Yeah. So there's just a bunch of different ways to look at it. And I mean, this this happens all the time. Someone with a a bunch of wins doesn't win this thing. Like this happened to Eros and Glitz, it happened to Annie and Dragnificent on an even bigger scale. It just It's just kind of the name of the game in these things. It just depends on how you look at it and how you score it, and like you you're saying, the the journey, and we also think about where do you fit within like the context of Hot Mess and Athens drag and who you are as a drag artist. It's the climb, baby. It's I can almost see.

SPEAKER_04 49:52

But I agree with that. I think that the finale is meant to showcase the top four's entire journey of the season. It's not necessarily to just crown whoever has the most wins throughout the season. So the finale is just as important, and you have to be on your A game for the finale as well. You can't just rest on your track record.

SPEAKER_03 50:17

Well, let's start with runaway presentation at the beginning of the night. I think every single runway was phenomenal. So it's like that doesn't even help me because I loved every single one. So really it came down to performance for me.

SPEAKER_04 50:29

Yeah, like I would say um It really was the the final numbers, I think.

SPEAKER_05 50:35

Yeah, because I do think that um Aqua and Tina were neck and neck on funeral runway. They they were so different from each other. Like Aqua had her like fashion kind of like dramatic Airte-inspired gown, and then Tina's was like funeral showgirl with her like look, and they were like neck and neck there. I do think Tina had my favorite eulogy because they all had to do a DIY funeral look, eulogize their drag journeys, do a final number, and then a coordination runway. Yeah. Tina for me had the best eulogy.

SPEAKER_03 51:09

Same, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 51:10

And then um for the performances, like we said, like I said already, like Faye and Aqua were like our favorites for the performances. And then again, um in the coordination runway, Aqua and Tina were so different, but they both like looked amazing. Like I couldn't pick a favorite of the two of their looks because they were just so different. Yeah. I don't think necessarily that Tina was like resting on her laurels or resting on her track record or just being like crown it, but I just think her number was just like less impactful and less interesting. And also her backup answers did like fuck up more than anyone else's.

SPEAKER_03 51:50

Valtorin. Not to be a shady Valtorin? I was talking to Speak on it. So I was talking to on the phone about this because she called me one of the T. And I was like, um Tina obviously killed a performance, but if I was Tina and my last rehearsal with my dancers, I saw what they were giving, I would have cut them. But they had to have dancers. Oh, they did? Yeah, that was required.

SPEAKER_05 52:18

Okay. They had to they had to have dancers and they had to have visuals.

SPEAKER_03 52:21

But from what I heard, there wasn't a lot of rehearsal time. Well. And that's probably why that happened.

SPEAKER_05 52:27

Well.

SPEAKER_03 52:29

But I mean, we had I think every single performance the dancers added to the number. Tina's, that did not happen.

SPEAKER_05 52:36

Yeah, it took away.

SPEAKER_03 52:37

And I don't know whose fault it is.

SPEAKER_05 52:39

I don't know. I mean, there is a little bit of like the factor maybe she was at a little bit of a disadvantage in being able to like practice in the room because she lives so far away. I mean, all of them, all the finalists did practice before the show on the night. Yeah. So they all like got that same time to do that.

SPEAKER_03 52:57

And you know, even the backup dancers aside, I just didn't love the concept.

SPEAKER_05 53:01

No, it was it was sort of like, and also like I've already seen someone do not that this we can't necessarily judge someone's number based off things we've already seen that they don't have the con because Tina is 22, she's so young. Like, we've just seen so much more than she does. So it's like a lot of younger drag performers are gonna have like ideas that we think are tired that but they're like, oh my god, this is so fierce, just because they're so new to it, you know, and they haven't seen as much. Does that make sense? It does. Maybe this it was just like also that didn't make sense to me because she has like won so much throughout the season. So it was kind of like a maybe this time I'll win. It's like, but you have won so much. I mean, she was so polished, didn't gorge the whole season. She's a great performer. I think her biggest room to grow is creativity and singularity. Yeah, like what about you makes you stand out in the world of drag? I agree. Everyone loves a beautiful show girl, but like what makes you unique?

SPEAKER_04 54:05

Yeah, I think that she could brush up on her references a little more. Um, I'm not saying that they're bad or like y'all said, tired, but do the designing women, do the Erica Kirk, but put that Tina spin on it. Just don't do what you've seen other people do, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_05 54:27

Yeah, it's like, oh, I know this is like an iconic drag thing.

SPEAKER_04 54:30

Yeah, totally incorporate it because it is, and people will live for it, but you know, just sort of spin it around and and make it your own and make it something that we haven't seen or something that's exciting.

SPEAKER_05 54:46

Yeah, like when she when she did the designing women monologue, I was like, it's a classic for a reason.

SPEAKER_04 54:52

Also, I'm I'm she performed it really well.

SPEAKER_03 54:56

Regardless if it's recycled or tired or whatever I think about it, she killed it. She kills it.

SPEAKER_05 55:01

She did kill it. Yeah, and that's why that's how I judged her on that specific thing that one that night. I was like, I know this is like overdone and played out, but I'm just judging you based off what you presented on the stage. So that's why I scored her well for that category, while some others were like, This is tired. But it's just how you look at it, you know, judges are different.

SPEAKER_04 55:19

Yeah, I very much enjoyed Tina all season.

SPEAKER_03 55:22

Me too. Oh, which she brought at the table. I do Tina all the time in front of everybody. The Tina, the Tina, the Tina. And she her audition number was my god's not so good. It was so good. That is what she shined the most because I feel like that was so Tina. It was so yes, she she told us it was the Tina, the Tina, the Tina.

SPEAKER_05 55:43

And she consistently had fabulous runway looks. She really did. Her mixed patterns gown, girls. She came out and gave an all-stars package. Shout out to Hazel and Zoya, also, who helped Tina a lot. Um, y'all did fierce. Like it takes a village. Tina, you carried yourself with much professionalism and poise, and you're a fabulous performer. And she's moving here in a month.

SPEAKER_04 56:07

I can't. I'm looking forward to that.

SPEAKER_03 56:09

I really am. She's gonna be right on in the family. And I love that she has friends that are willing to on the night yell at us and then the next day post shady Instagram notes about us. Uh I love and also apologize to us.

SPEAKER_04 56:23

Shout out, shout out to Halaycia too. Halacia was there every single week almost with Hazel and Zoya. Um, I love that crazy bitch. I fucking love them too so much. She can hit my vape anytime.

SPEAKER_03 56:36

Oh man, uh well, I don't really know Halacia that well, but loved it. From what I did get to know her. I mean, I love all the making girls, anyways.

SPEAKER_04 56:43

Yeah, they were fun. They were really fun. Good job, Tina. You did amazing sweetheart. Put the pipe down, girl.

SPEAKER_03 56:50

Yeah, Hazel. I mean, next time you're in town, I mean, I'll let you hit mine. I think you're missing out.

SPEAKER_05 56:56

Although I will say, I don't know if I necessarily lived for that because they run their own competition that is very similar to Hot Mess, and they know how hard it is. Yeah. So it's like, I get that that's your friend, and I get that y'all pretty much made her package for her the whole time. Like, no shade, but like, and we're friends and have been friends for so long. So I don't necessarily need you to shade us online. Put the pipe down. Because because your friend didn't win, but no, it's fine.

SPEAKER_04 57:27

I mean, I'll let it slide. Zoya screamed to my face, so I would have rather been yelled at online.

SPEAKER_05 57:33

I've never, I mean, that is kind of funny though, because I've never heard Zoya talk above a whisper.

SPEAKER_02 57:38

I didn't do anything.

SPEAKER_05 57:39

And she fucking oh yeah, you weren't even like a judge. Oh, and I will say, when Tina was giving her um her loser speech um that Zoya yelled about. Yeah, she doesn't want to talk. Anyway, um, and she was like crying, giving speech. I did have to like turn around and like face the wall because I I started crying too.

SPEAKER_03 57:58

Oh yeah, me too.

SPEAKER_05 58:00

Honey. Tina, you did a fabulous job, and you You won our hearts. You and you broke a record. You won four challenges, and the record before that was three challenges, and you will always have that. So like good for you. And there's more to come, so and there's always more to come. The world explodes, you know. I have a feeling. I have a feeling we have one more queen to talk about. It's time to blow our.

SPEAKER_04 58:26

I thought you were gonna say we're one second from midnight.

SPEAKER_05 58:29

The big the big finale. Kaboom. Oh my god. Our Hot Mess 5 winner. Do you do you want to take it, Miss Showgirl?

SPEAKER_03 58:36

Yes. Let's take it. Take it there, honey. So I've I've known Aqua a long time, and I don't want this to seem like I was biased in the competition because I don't want to crown someone who doesn't deserve it. So I would never let my own opinion and friendship with someone sway my opinions and my scoring. No. But the journey that Aqua had in the competition, the upward trajectory of her concepts, her presentation, her commitment to everything that she did, I think is just so impressive. And the week before, I think Aqua gave such a strong. I think that one win on the chart, in my mind, kind of counts towards three because she absolutely killed that night.

SPEAKER_05 59:19

She did kill that night and was like amazing. But you also have to like when you look at the whole chart as a as a whole, she also was in the top several times. She never placed lower than safe, never lip synced, was never even low. So like she has a fabulous track record on her own.

SPEAKER_06 59:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 59:38

And when you win wins happen because of the math of the judges' scores added together. So like there are times every season where people will win a challenge, and I don't think that they necessarily should have won a challenge. Won that challenge. They just did because of the overall math of the night. So wins can really just kind of like it matters for a certain amount, you know, but I mean there were times this season where people won. I was like, well, I thought this other person would win could win. I should have won. But it's not just a yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:13

And it could it could come down to a matter of two to three points difference. But just because someone didn't take the night doesn't mean that they're so far behind the person that did win. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 1:00:27

And I do believe the um the two weeks before Aqua's win, when she was high, she was the runner up those weeks. Yeah. So it's like she almost won three challenges. She was strong every week. Yeah. And that says a lot.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:39

I do love Aqua's story though, on the chart. If you do look at the chart, because she was kind of giving, I don't want to say like underdog, but she was kind of giving like the come from behind victory to me.

SPEAKER_05 1:00:53

My favorite. Yeah, because at the at the beginning, like the first half of the cycle, she was good, but she was just kind of safe.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:59

Yeah, like I never counted her out at all, but just seeing her improvement through the season and it just kind of like after one certain week, I just feel like she locked in and just killed it the rest of the time. But it was just really cool to see her have that journey and just sort of like come from behind, come up the rear and just take it. Take it.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:24

She did, and like we said earlier, her um DIY funeral look was fucking fabulous, and I loved that ginger hair with it. She looked like Sophie.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:33

What really sold it for me is after her number when she was talking about it, and said, This has been a dream of mine to do since I started drag. Yes. So for the finale for her to make it happen and execute it the way she did, that is what hot mess is to me.

SPEAKER_05 1:01:47

Oh, also during Aqua, during your um finale number, Christina and I like turned to each other and we were both crying. I'm tearing up now again. And again, it's not bias, but we have just known Aqua. Even though she was with the showgirls, we have like known her the whole time. And she's performed with us several times over the what three or four years we've known her, and she's done boy buttons stuff, and like now she performs with us a lot, and it was just Christine and I got so emotional because it was just such like a pinnacle Aqua moment, and just like watching our friend be so successful and incredible, and it was like Aqua really like almost swept the whole night. She really did for me. She had the best DIY funeral look. She Tina had the eulogy, but then Aqua I thought had the best number, and I know earlier I said I couldn't really pick one, but she really did like kind of she had the best, maybe most unique coronation look. And she made that look herself as part of her master's thesis. Yeah, it looked beautiful, it was and that hair with it was gorgeous. And she she won the most points in the finale by a lot. It was like she won by a lot, and then Tina was next, and Faye was a little bit behind Tina, and then Tigris was like way at the bottom. Kind of in the opposite way. Sorry, girl. But I mean Aqua just slammed, pussy fucked. Not not pussy, but Faye's fucked the finale.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:21

Yeah, she got 30,000 points because that's the way Cola does the the thing. What? I think we scored the nine out of a hundred, right? We did.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:29

It was the usually the um the challenge and then the runway, it's like it was just different. But then on the the finale, the the funeral runway, the eulogy, the performance, and the coronation look were all all carried equal weight. All scored out of 25. You could get 100 points. Just everything, everything was even. And that's just that's how it went, and and she won.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:58

Well deserved.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:59

And I you know what? And I I was telling Christina this last night. Every single cycle after we crown a winner for like a month, I'm like, do we pick the right person? Yeah, blah blah blah blah blah. But then I mean that goes away and it just is what it is. Like, it's just so hard to like do these things, and then I'm just glad everyone was a good sport who was in the competition. Yeah, all the contestants were good sports, even though some people were shady. But you know, I get it, emotions are high.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:24

This crack is so fucking good, Lois.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:27

But you know, I'm really proud of Tina and Aqua. And Aqua, you should be so proud. You deserve it. And now you are in the winner's circle, honey.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:37

And more importantly, good for this family.

SPEAKER_05 1:04:41

Another rigged win for Athens. This is payback for Sade. We're just kidding. I did tell JC that. I said, JC, JC, you've been avenged. Evil. No, that's not true. We're joking. Anyway, it was a fabulous season. I loved it.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:59

It was probably my favorite season.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:01

It is really up there. And it might and it and it brought us all back together. Yes. And it it brought back my like love for like Athens drag. Like, I'm even like thinking about like maybe even wanting to like move back. Ooh, that would be fun. I know. I know. I'm I'm flirting with the idea. We'll see. But Hot Mess 5 was that girl, and I'm just so happy. And I can't wait to talk about it for the next year. I know. And then um up next is All Stars 2. Yes. Ooh, exciting. And how long have we been recording? We're at hour 17. Oh, okay. So we should probably wrap it up soon. But you know, today we're also gonna be I mean, this won't come out the same day, but we're gonna be talking to our very um the only officially announced the the officially returned of our first all star, you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:55

So stay tuned to KYS to find out who it is. Of course.

SPEAKER_05 1:05:59

Uh I'm Excited. What um what do you like about All-Stars as opposed to a normal season?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:04

Like we were saying earlier, Hot Mess is such a redemption a redemption story. So within the season, you see the growth, and then we get to continue that journey and see the growth one, two years later.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:16

Yeah. See like where everyone's at now, check back in, see where people have like put in the work.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:21

And like All-Stars, pretty much everyone has had a significant growth journey. Absolutely. So it's not like a regular hot mess season where you know you have. But in All-Stars, everyone has a really solid foundation of what they want their drag to be. Whether they figured that out yet or not, maybe not, but they they have a plan and they have an idea.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:43

Yeah, I mean, because even I mean in the context of Hot Mess All-Stars, these people are still relatively new to the drag scene. I mean, certain people have only been performing for like two or three years. But All-Starzone Oh, All-Stars One was fabulous.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:00

It gave us the most iconic moments in church bar history, in my opinion. Like what? Uh, well, the Mona gold look, the egg, the precious egg. The siren gold look. That as well. Blair, minimal roast, just in general.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:15

Blair Blair's finale, Taylor Swift Eras tour number. Come on. The roast was iconic.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:20

Yes, the roast, very iconic. I mean, Mona's finale number for me, I think was probably my favorite number I've ever seen.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:26

I was probably I was drunk all of All-Stars, I guess. I don't remember anything.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:30

Well, it was two years ago. I'm also excited to do All Stars again because we need to just like just gatekeep the amount of um new freaks. Just gatekeep the amount of freaks that we let in our shows. And I'm let hot mess rest for uh a year and a half, two years.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:48

I'm excited because all these bitches know each other already for the most part. I think the All-Stars girlies don't care about being nice.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:58

I think that they're gonna play the game. And that was something that happened in All-Stars One. There's people that aren't friends anymore.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:06

Yeah, yeah. All-stars one definitely got really dark and um evil and scary. So hopefully it won't get like that. Like silly fun shade, like that's all fun. But hopefully it is a good time. And this cast is full T. It is already cast fully. I mean, things can change because it's in January. So that's a long time. Yeah. So people people can change their minds and stuff, but the cast is really, really fierce, and I'm really excited for it. And we have a lot of surprises and tricks up our sleeve. So stay tuned for that.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:44

Yeah, so uh Did you guys have a fun time? Congrats, Aqua KYSing today.

SPEAKER_05 1:08:48

I'm so glad we're back. I'm gonna KYS every day. Kill yourself every day?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:54

That doesn't Courtes and Yap Sesh. That's totally what it stands for. It means kiss.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:59

Go, go, go, go.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:01

Well, I think we've just about done it. I think we've done it. I'm really glad y'all agreed to do this with me again because I talked about IKTR probably for like a year. Aye. Until we actually did it. And just throughout the last couple of weeks, so many people saying I miss the pod. Whether um whether we have 50 or 500 listeners or even just one, I don't give a fuck.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:26

Because I like doing this. It's not about that. It's about us just like having a fun time and just like just like something fun for the community. Like it's it's for like the scene. There could be a hundred people. There could be a hundred people in a room, and there are Sacchar's in that room, we have a fan of KTR.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:43

We do slash KYS. Ugh. She's sitting here now, just for context. Oh yeah. We're not gonna give her a microphone though. Thumbs up, thumbs down. Thank God. She's gonna tap on the table in Morse code.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:53

She won the make-a-wish contest and got the CLI podcast recording. Too bad she's gonna die. Okay. Um James.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:04

Um we will see you soon. Christina, do you want to say goodbye to the people?

SPEAKER_03 1:10:09

Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for tuning back in. Um, and I can't wait to continue. Whatever that means.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:16

Well, yes, hang in there.

unknown 1:10:18

Keep going.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:20

Keep going to therapy.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:22

You're doing great, sweetie. You're doing amazing, sweetie. I need a therapist that takes gas X. Anyway.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:28

Miss Cola. You need some emodium. Miss Cola, do you want to say goodbye?

SPEAKER_05 1:10:33

I would love to say goodbye. Goodbye, everyone. It's good to be back. I guess.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:39

Yeah, goodbye, everyone. Time to KYS.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:41

I'm gonna KYS right now. I'm Carmella. Bye.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:45

Bye. Bye.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:49

Oh, she was unintentionally making us laugh. I'm laughing because I'm fine. A spectacle.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:56

Rollin'. Roll it. Oh, I left a good job in the city. It's a special day.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:07

And it was. Ain't that right, Fatty?